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Research report on the network planning for the greater Mekong subregion
Get PDFThis report will provide a planning scheme for the infrastructure in the GMS as a reference for the research on this field, based on the development status of the infrastructure and the prediction of the ICT business in the region, aiming to facilitate an integrated and balanced development of the infrastructure, which would further contribute to the development of the ICT business in the region.
Firstly, conduct research on the development status of the infrastructure and ICT business in the GMS by reviewing literature and analysing data.
Secondly, predict the development of ICT business in the GMS based on the development status of the ICT business as well as global situation. Then predict user scale in the next few years in the GMS based on the prediction of the ICT business by adopting a methodology that suited the current user scale most.
Thirdly, put forward planning scheme of infrastructure as a research reference according to the infrastructure status and the predictions we made above of the ICT development and user scale.
Lastly, provide suggestions on how to organize and implement the planning scheme of infrastructure development in the GMS based on the working mechanism of the ESCAP.
In addition, this report will also refer to some relevant research results of ESCAP and AP-IS implementation plans and regional cooperation framework documents.</p
Non-tariff measures and sustainable development in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan
No full textThis study analyses the relationship between non-tariff measures (NTMs) applicable in the agricultural sector of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan and the sustainable development goals (SDGs). Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, as newer members of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), first established by Belarus, Kazakhstan and the Russian Federation in 2010, have the intention of eliminating intra-block barriers in the trade of goods, services, capital and labour. Elimination of barriers, as envisaged by the EAEU Treaty, specifically includes non-tariff regulation. However, the scope of non-tariff regulation, as defined in the Treaty, only includes traditional commercial instruments, such as licencing and quotas. Other regulations which are considered as NTMs by WTO, UNCTAD and other international organizations, such as sanitary and phytosanitary measures and technical barriers to trade, are addressed by other chapters in the Treaty and are not subject to elimination. As such, there is sometimes confusion in discussions about NTMs within the scope of the EAEU due to such varying definitions. Many NTMs (in broader sense) in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan are found to have legitimate and necessary objectives, such as protection of human, animal and plant health or, protection of the environment. At the same time, there seems to have been instances in the region of NTMs being overtly used with a protectionist intent. The bulk of the measures examined affecting agricultural trade, however, showed that the most frequent NTMs might be addressing health-related Sustainable Development Goals. Data on NTMs remain incomplete in many countries of the region. This is evident by the varying level of completeness of measures notified by EAEU member States to the WTO that are based on ratified EAEU regulations. As such, further efforts are needed to increase transparency in this area to ensure the measures do not create unnecessary barriers to trade and sustainable development
Trade in goods outlook in Asia and the Pacific 2020/2021
No full textGlobal and regional merchandise trade have faced significant downward pressure throughout 2019 and 2020. The
emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, coupled with increasing trade tensions and an already slowing global
economy, have paved the way for the world’s worst economic performance since the Great Depression, with global
international trade value estimated by ESCAP to dip by 14.5% in 2020.
Despite facing a sharp decline in merchandise trade, Asia and the Pacific is expected to perform better than the rest
of the world during 2020, with the most recent forecasts pointing to a lower export and import value contraction of
9.7% and 10.3%, respectively. As a result, the region’s prominence in global merchandise trade is expected to rise to
an all-time high in 2020; 41.8% of the world’s exports and 38.2% of global imports are expected to come to or from
Asia and the Pacific. This will be up from 39.9% and 36.9% in 2019.
However, trade performances will be uneven across the region. Excluding China, developing economies will be hit
the hardest by the current pandemic: their export and imports are expected to decline 15.8% and 17.1%, compared
with 10.1% and 8.8.% for developed ones, respectively. The poorer trade performance of developing economies is
closely linked with their weak ability to implement fiscal and monetary measures, their reliance on travel and tourism
services, as well as their limited digital trade readiness.
Of the Asia-Pacific region’s subregions, South and South-West Asia will post the worst overall trade contraction
(21.6% and 21.4% fall in exports and imports, respectively). However, due to a sharp fall in oil prices, North and
Central Asia will post the worst export performance (a 24.4.% decline). On the other hand, despite a better-than-
average export performance, South-East Asia will face the largest import contractions (a fall of 22.1%). The Pacific
will follow wider-regional trends with its exports and imports contracting 7% and 9.5%, respectively, while East and
North-East Asia (mostly due to China’s trade recovery) will perform the best with a trade decline estimated at 5.5%.
Looking at the available half-year statistics for sector-wise trade performances,trade in fuels and mining products
have fallen the most, while agricultural products have performed the best. This is a result of the continued need of
consumers for essential products and the steep decline in input demand. Manufactured goods have experienced
roughly the same decline as total merchandise trade, pressured by a fall in final consumption of non-essential
products, but boosted by heightened demand for medical equipment, pharmaceuticals, PPE as well as digital goods.</p
Learning materials on cross-border infrastructure financing
No full textThe learning materials were developed for capacity building activities to strengthen subregional connectivity in East and North-East Asia through effective economic corridor management. ESCAP East and North-East Asia Office worked with Mr. Xiao Guangrui (CEO, BRIdata) in developing the learning materials. </p
Summary assessment of the Committee on Information and Communications Technology, Science Technology and Innovation, Third Session, 19-20 August 2020
No full textThe third session of the Committee on Information and Communications Technology, Science, Technology and Innovation took place from 19-20 August 2020 in a hybrid mode due to the COVID-19 and related travel restrictions in many countries in the Asia-Pacific region.
A questionnaire assessing the relevance, effectiveness and quality of the meeting was distributed to each delegation of ESCAP members and associate members. The main purpose of this assessment is to support the secretariat's ongoing efforts to improve its servicing of the session.</p
Towards more affordable medicine : a proposal to waive certain obligations from the agreement on TRIPS
No full textAccess to medicines at prices patients can afford has been a recurrent concern for the global community ever since the Agreement on Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property (TRIPS) was adopted in 1995 as one of the agreements under the World Trade Organization (WTO). In 2001, WTO Members emphasised that the “TRIPS Agreement does not and should not prevent Members from taking measures to protect public health … and that the Agreement can and should be interpreted and implemented in a manner supportive of WTO Members' right to protect public health and, in particular, to promote access to medicines for all” (World Trade Organization 2001: paragraph 4). Subsequently, the adoption of the Doha Declaration provided clarity with regard to the flexibilities in the TRIPS Agreement and many developing countries used these flexibilities to facilitate access to medicines when in need (especially in the HIV/AIDS context). Such need might have again occurred with the COVID-19 pandemic. Using the recently submitted proposal by India and South Africa, discussed by the TRIPS Council in the WTO in October 2020, this working paper discusses some possible ways forward in dealing with some specific obligations under the Agreement on TRIPS with an objective of enhancing world’s chances for prevention, containment, and treatment of COVID-19
Enhancing the role of ICTs for disaster risk management
No full textDisasters cause huge economic losses. According to the World Bank, disasters threatened the GDPs of all the Least Developed Countries and more than 60 developing countries. In a small developing country, even a single medium-size disaster can reverse economic development. In a matter of minutes or hours, rapid-onset catastrophic disasters like earthquakes, tsunamis, flash floods and volcanoes can destroy the hard-earned development gains of decades or even centuries. Within the Asia-Pacific region, South-East Asia, in particular Indonesia and the Philippines were hardest hit. The underlying reasons appear to be unplanned urbanization, poor management of land use and climate change
Preferential trade agreements in Asia and the Pacific : trends and developments 2020/2021
No full textThe Asia-Pacific region continues to be the largest contributor to the worldwide build-up of preferential trade
agreements (PTAs). Looking at the stock of PTAs with at least one party from Asia-Pacific region, 184 trade
agreements are in force, 19 are signed and pending ratification, and 95 are still under negotiation (as of December
2020).
The majority of PTAs go beyond the liberalization of trade in goods, with 54% of all enforced PTAs in the region
covering both goods and services.
Bilateral PTAs account for approximately 78% of all PTAs in force. In terms of geographical coverage, 49% of all
Asia-Pacific region PTAs are with economies outside the region, which reinforces the claim about the Asia-Pacific
economies actively participating as dialogue partners within as well as from outside the region.
The number of newly-signed PTAs by the Asia-Pacific economies has more than halved in 2020 from the previous
year. This was mostly due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which not only disrupted international trade flows, but also
caused some trade negotiations to stall. From the 10 outstanding PTA initiatives started since January 2019 (six
intraregional and four extraregional), only three commenced negotiations during 2020. As of December 2020, none
of the new initiatives have been signed.
Trade negotiators are increasingly turning to including digital trade issues in the PTAs: Eight of the 17 trade
agreements signed between 2019-2020 already include specific e-commerce provisions. Moreover, regional
economies, especially Singapore, have signed Digital Trade Agreements (DTAs). As of December 2020, the region
has successfully signed three DTAs – the Japan-United States DTA signed in 2019, while Australia-Singapore Digital
Economy Agreement (DEA) and Chile-New Zealand- Singapore Digital Economy Partnership Agreement (DEPA) were
both signed in 2020. More agreements, driven by Singapore, are coming their way because Singapore has ongoing
negotiations with the Republic of Korea and will start negotiations with the United Kingdom in 2021.
The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) signed on 15 November 2020 is a major milestone
towards trade integration in Asia and the Pacific. Even without India’s participation, this agreement accounts for
about 30% of global GDP, the world population and world trade. It updates the coverage of existing “ASEAN+1” PTAs
and includes chapters that go beyond traditional trade issues, such as chapters dedicated to e-commerce,
investment or small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). However, the most important feature of the RCEP (apart
for boosting confidence in regional cooperation) is a conversion of multiple rules of origin into a simplified and a
single set of rules, which potentially can lead to higher utilization of this deal especially for the SMEs and GVCs.</p